Sodje scores vital equaliser

BRENTFORD boss Martin Allen is hoping hundreds of Brentford fans, who had to miss an epic FA Cup display by their League One side at Southampton because of a ticket blunder, will get into the fifth-round replay at Griffin Park in eight days.

Southampton 2-2 BrentfordBRENTFORD boss Martin Allen is hoping hundreds of Brentford fans, who had to miss an epic FA Cup display by their League One side at Southampton because of a ticket blunder, will get into the fifth-round replay at Griffin Park in eight days.

Hard-up Brentford ordered too few seats from Saints, fearing they may not be able to sell as many as the 4,700 offered on a sale-and-no-return basis. They do not have to worry about that now after pocketing a fortune from Saturday's gate and a replay on March 1.

And it will be their ninth game in this season's competition, including four replays - the furthest they have been since knocked out by Liverpool in the sixth round 16 years ago.

Centre-half Sam Sodje, one of four brothers in the English game and whose sister is a Nigerian athlete, was the final hero of Brentford's comeback. They trailed to two goals by Henri Camara in the first 35 minutes but Sodje nodded home a 57th-minute cross from midfielder Jay Tabb after providing the pass that sent Isaiah Rankin on a wonderful run before beating ex-Bees keeper Paul Smith five minutes before half-time.